Recipegirl

Ever heard of recipegirl.com? We have, and we love her website. One day Jessica must have been bored babysitting (the cutest little boy ever) and she sent me recipegirl.com and told me to take a look. Since then we have looked to this website whenever we are looking for something new to cook. 
This was the first recipe we tried of hers, and it was stellar. 

Easy Chicken Santa Fe (crock pot)

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 small bag frozen sweet corn (or 2 cans, rinsed & drained)
1 cup bottled chunky salsa
6 skinless chicken thighs (or 6 skinless chicken breasts- see tips below)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (low fat is fine), cut into chunks
1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, mix beans, corn and 1/2 cup salsa. Top with chicken and pour remaining salsa over the chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked throughout.

2. Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken to slow cooker along with cream cheese. Stir and let cream cheese melt into the mixture to create a creamy sauce.

3. For serving: You can serve the chicken & sauce over rice with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. Or you can serve these as tacos with cheese and a couple of taco fixings such as lettuce and tomato.

This recipe is super easy (crock pot is the way to go anyway) and super tasty. 

Ps. check out recipegirl.com if you haven't yet :)

♥ The Westward Wives

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Even though the name of this recipe is called strawberry pretzel salad, its not much of a salad. It is all dessert and all delicious. I was looking over the food & drink section of pinterest (something I do a lot) and I saw this recipe. My mom made this for my family years ago, it was great but we must have just forgotten about it and the recipe was lost along the way. So when I found it again I called her up and made her make it for our weekend trip to Kansas we took this past weekend. 
It was a hit with my family and hopefully it will be a hit with yours:

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 Tablespoons white sugar

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 (8 oz) container of frozen whipped cream, thawed

2 (3 oz) packages of strawberry flavored jello
2 cups boiling water
2 (10 oz) packages of frozen strawberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto cooled crust.
5. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in still frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.

Happy Monday!

♥ The Westward Wives

Callie's Birthday morning

Last Friday was Callie's birthday (22!) and that morning Kaycee made us the best breakfast ever to start her birthday right. After three tests on her birthday, Callie and the Westward Wives (minus a sick Caitlin) all went out to dinner at Old Chicagos and then out to the bars! Happy late birthday Callie!!!!!!!

Nutella Pastries (serves 6)
Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen pastry, thawed
6 Tbsp Nutella 
1 egg, beaten
1 package of raspberry 

Direction:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Unfold pastry and cut into 6 rectangles
Place on greased baking sheet
Spread 1 Tbsp Nutella over half a rectangle
Add crushed up raspberry
Fold over and press edges with fork
Repeat. Brush with egg.
Prick tops with fork
Bake at 400 degree for 10-14 minutes
Sprinkle with Confectioners sugar
Serve warm

Literally the best breakfast ever!

♥ The Westward Wives

White Turkey Chili

As per request from Shauna: I present to you all White Turkey Chili (from our cousin Julie)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 yellow onions

4 cloves garlic

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

1 lb ground turkey

(or you can just do 2 lb ground turkey)

1 can (7 oz) roasted green chiles

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 can white kidney beans, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, diced onion, sour cream and/ors for serving.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Add the chicken thighs, ground turkey, chiles, cumin, oregano and cayenne.

Sauté until the chicken is mostly cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Add the stock and beans. Turn the heat down to low.

Simmer uncovered for at least 20 minutes, or longer.

Taste the chili and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve with any combination of the garnishes.

♥ The Westward Wives

For Caitlin

As you all know, Caitlin has recently moved to Denver for her major. Metro has a really good hospitality program and Caitlin wants to be an event planner so it is perfect for her! While she was living with me I found out how actually picky she is. Her eating habit is like that of a 6 year olds. She loves chicken nuggets, pizza, and doritos. But I found one grown up recipe she loves, Lemon Chicken. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com 

Lemon Chicken

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into chunks

1/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

Coarse salt

2 tablespoons wok or vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan (preferred brand: House of Tsang)

1 tablespoon (a splash) white or rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth or stock

8 ounces (1 cup) prepared lemon curd

1/4 cup hot water

1 lemon, zested

2 scallions, thinly sliced or 20 blades fresh chives, finely chopped

Coat the chunked chicken lightly in flour, seasoned with a little salt. .

Heat a large skillet or a wok-shaped nonstick pan over high heat Stir fry chicken until golden, 3 or 4 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and return pan to heat.  Reduce heat to medium.

Add a splash of vinegar to the pan and let it evaporate.

Add stock or broth to the pan and scrape up any drippings with a whisk.

Thin curd by stirring in a little hot water. Add curd to broth and whisk to combine.

Add chicken back to the pan and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken sauce  finish cooking chicken pieces through.

Remove the pan from heat, add the scallions or chives and zest,

and toss chicken pieces well to combine zest and scallions or chives evenly

Serve with rice So maybe if you have a picky eater, they will enjoy this as well! Good luck

♥ The Westward Wives

The wise older sister

My older sister Shauna is the unofficial sister for the Westward Wives, she listens to our drama, hears our late night adventures and gives us boy advice when we need it. Growing up Shauna and I did not get along very well, she was the mean older sister and I was vindictive younger sister, trying to get her in trouble as much as I could. That all changed when she moved away from college, we realized how much we were alike and how much we actually loved each other. She is my best friend, my confidant, and someone I look up to.

When we were little these were our favorites and we would beg our parents to make them regularly. 

Cheeseburger Eggrolls:
Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 package of sharp cheddar cheese
1 tub of cream cheese
Egg roll wrappers

Brown the hamburger meat
Lay out egg roll wrapper and put equal amounts of cheese, cream cheese and hamburger meat (cooked) in the middle of the wrapper
Roll up like an egg roll
Heat electric skillet with crisco in it
Put in egg roll until brown, fill and brown other side

HAHAHAHA classic 90's pictures

Love you Nana!

♥ The Westward Wives

Callie's Poor Man Meals

Since we are all in college, when we can find cheap meals that we love, its a bonus! Callie seems to know the best recipes that are very inexpensive to make so here they go:

Tuna Surprise
Ingredients:
1 box Kraft Mac n Cheese (original)
1 packet of tuna 
1 can of peas

Cook the macaroni and cheese according to the recipe on the box.
Add the packet of tuna
Drain can of peas and add half (or whole according to taste preference)
Mix and enjoy. Easy peasy

Fried Egg Sammie
Ingredients:
2 eggs
Butter
Mustard
Mayo
2 slices of bread
thinly sliced onion rings (around 4 slices)
Lettuce 
Salt and pepper

To fry the eggs:
In a frying pan on medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp butter
Crack both eggs in pan 
With a knife break up the yolk
Add salt and pepper, to taste 
They are done when the whites are set and the outer edges are just starting to curl up.

While frying the eggs, toast the bread
Mayo on one side, mustard on the other
Once the eggs are finish add them to the sandwich
Finish with adding the onions and lettuce

Cheesy "Bread"
Ingredients:
1 whole english muffin
Butter
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Italian Seasoning

Directions:
turn the oven on high broiler
Line cooking sheet with aluminum foil
Cut english muffin in half
Butter each side, then place on cookie sheet
Add enough mozzarella to cover entire muffin
then add paremsan
Sprinkle with italian season and place under broiler
Its cooked when the cheese is all melted

A cheap meal that can be purchased at the grocery store that was introduced to me by Callie would be pasta-roni, parmesan cheese flavor. They sell for usually 10 for $10. Super inexpensive, super tasty, super amounts of sodium (but we are in college so we don't care)

Thanks Callie for all these wonderful recipes!

♥ The Westward Wives